The Responsibility of Knowing Better

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”  - Maya Angelou

This quote from Dr. Maya Angelou has allowed me to look at myself and others through the eyes of compassion. It  has also eliminated the excuse of ignorance and laid upon me a deeper responsibility for my actions. 

We all make mistakes based on ignorance, especially when we're young or just too busy to think about the longterm consequences of our actions. Sometimes we make the same mistake more than once. But, eventually we must make time to reflect on our actions, so we might learn from those mistakes. When we do, we will know better! 

Knowing better eliminates the excuses we tell ourselves when we flub up. We can no longer deny that we didn't know what we were doing. We must take the responsibility for our actions and the hurt we have caused others. We must promise ourselves to do better! We must live with integrity!